Podcast host, Joel Bolnick, founder and prime mover of the new Ros Bean Biodiversity and Mindfulness Centre in Cape Town, is in conversation with SAUFFT CEO, Kurt Ackermann.
Joel was the co-founder of Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI) and the Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), and a leader deeply committed to social and environmental justice. This is the inaugural podcast in a series emerging from the work of the Ros Bean Centre, where Kurt was privileged to launch their programmes with a session in October last year.
More about the podcast:
This episode introduces the Ros Bean Centre and its mission to address the climate crisis and biodiversity through practical strategies and public dialogue. The discussion focuses on food security with guest Kurt Ackermann, CEO of the SA Urban Food & Farming Trust, exploring how urban farming fosters social cohesion, supplements incomes, and builds resilience in Cape Town’s marginalised communities.
Ackermann highlights that food insecurity in South Africa stems from systemic inequality and distribution challenges, rather than production shortages. The conversation examines the reliance on processed foods in a context of poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and energy limitations, which negatively impact nutrition and health. Community food gardens are presented as transformative spaces that enhance social networks, knowledge-sharing, and local agency.
The podcast also delves into challenges such as securing land, accessing resources, and navigating government regulations. It emphasizes the need for integrated solutions that address food systems, urbanization, and inequality to create more sustainable and equitable communities.
SA Urban Food & Farming Trust 